


Age

by BlueBirdys



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Aging, Boyd is Gyro's son, Dementia, Estrangement, Future Fic, Hiding Medical Issues, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Memory Loss, Past Abuse, Slice of Life, This May Be Inspired by The Season 4 Episode of Bojack Horseman 'Time's Arrow', Title and Summary taken from a Song, fifteen years later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24801595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBirdys/pseuds/BlueBirdys
Summary: I've traded love for penniesSold my soul for lessLost my ideals in that long tunnel of timeAnd I've turned inside out and around about and back and thenFound myself right back where I started again
Relationships: Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gyro Gearloose
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Age

**Author's Note:**

> Content warning: this contains some mentions of age related mental issues, medical issues and implied character death as well as some brief language.

“I mean, can you blame me for wanting to use a camcorder instead of the tablet?” Fenton shrugged. “Which looks weirder? Holding up an actual camera or a rectangle?”

“I’m just saying,” Gyro snorted as he walked through the parking lot, “you’ve had that thing for over a decade. I don’t trust enough that it got everything.”

“At least fifty other people were recording around us,” the duck laughed. “We can always ask one of them for a copy.”

“Yeah, so the camera focuses on their kid instead?” Gyro countered back with dry humor. He unlocked the car, sighing as he sunk into the driver’s seat.

“I know I’ve got plenty of footage to send to friends and relatives. And I’m sure one of Boyd’s friends in the audience has some too.”

“Fair enough.” The chicken waited for Fenton to buckle his seatbelt. “I still can’t believe that principal though. I mean, she didn’t pronounce _ magna _ right. Maj-nuh? What? If I were Boyd, I would have corrected her up there.”

“Oh lighten up,” Fenton laughed. “He gave a nice speech right?”

“Yeah.” Gyro made a face. “Though I am going to ask him where the heck he got that quote at the end there.”

“If I had to make a guess, probably a Darkwing Duck comic?”

“Oh great,” the chicken snorted.   
  
In spite of all his snarking, he couldn’t have been prouder of Boyd. Graduating high school at the top of his class was every parent’s dream, and even if Boyd was a highly refined android, he was one that Gyro had taken painstaking lengths to raise like any other child. Within the last fifteen years, he’d been able to give Boyd all the necessary upgrades for a normal, definitely real life. He’d gone through about three different bodies to mimic the aging process, and while it did put Boyd behind his other peers a little bit, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, Boyd had rather liked the ability to choose to be a little kid as long as he wanted, only choosing to grow up when he felt it was time. 

Gyro admittedly did have a little more of a hand in Boyd’s growing and schooling than most other parents but mainly to prevent the pressure he knew would be given by others if they knew just how extraordinary the kid was. As dreamy as Gyro had gotten over the thought of Boyd going to college three years ahead of everyone else in his class, he didn’t force it when he realized the idea made Boyd uncomfortable and instead decided to help Boyd do what he needed to fit in better with his peers. And it worked out pretty great! Gyro even figured out the optimal algorithm of grades Boyd could aim for instead of constant perfect scores. It ended up being perfect, with Boyd acing all his classes and being valedictorian without much intensive fanfare. And aside from one pimple-faced meathead who had gotten a nice ‘talking to’ from Lil Bulb behind the gymnasium, nobody ever called Boyd a robot.

* * *

_ “ _ _ For every 100, fudge a couple answers to get a 94. Heck, maybe a B+ on a weekly quiz, if you want to get adventurous,” Gyro suggested once during sophomore year. _

_ “I have a paper due on Feudalism next week. I’ll incorrectly cite the sources.” _

_ “Atta boy.” _

* * *

Fenton had then noticed that Gyro had yet to start the car.

“Y’okay?” He smiled, giving a once over to the graying feathers atop the chicken’s head.

“Yeah,” Gyro assured taking off his thicker glasses to clean them. “I’m just now digesting all of it. Is this how all parents feel when their kids graduate?”

“I feel like if I asked M’ma, she’d say yes.” Fenton gently patted the other’s hand. “You did great.”

“Thanks,” Gyro sighed. “All in...what, like thirty years of work? God, I’m old.”

“Me too,” Fenton laughed softly and leaned over to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek, happy to enjoy the sunshine and the air conditioner as they drove out of the high school parking lot.

After some quick errands for various graduation celebratory purposes, they made it back home. Both of them had been eager to change into more casual clothes, long button-downs and slacks being uncomfortable in 80 degree heat outdoors.

“The Drakes texted,” Fenton called from their room as he was changing. “They’ll drop Boyd off once they’re done taking him to lunch.”

“Okay,” Gyro called over his shoulder as he multi tasked between putting flowers in a vase and a decent quality platter of cold cuts in the fridge for later. “Did Beakley get back to you on if the mansion’s prepped for the party?”

“Not yet, should I call?”

“Yeah, thanks babe!” Gyro undid his tie in the kitchen as he pressed the button on the landline answering machine. 

As soon as the recorded voice spoke in Japanese, Gyro blanked out a bit as he tried to recollect his understanding of the language and hear what it had to say.

_ “Hello this is Quackamatsu Penitentiary. “ _

“Say what?”

_ “We’re calling in regards to Dr. Akita. Please call us back at-” _

“Ah shit.”

* * *

“He’s _out of prison?!_ ” Fenton was careful not to scream too loud and attract attention from outside the mansion kitchen.

“I screamed the same thing,” Gyro grumbled as he grabbed another handful of crackers. “I guess this whole time, he didn’t have anything close to a life sentence.”

“We probably should have followed up on that,” Fenton mumbled.

“Yeah, no kidding,” the chicken stuffed a cracker in his mouth. As much as he didnt want to miss his own son’s graduation party, he needed to keep Fenton informed on this. 

“Do you think Tokyolk will be safe? What if he’s planning revenge or hiring people to carry out deeds for him?”

“I worry about that too.” Gyro shook his head. “The woman on the phone said that it wasn’t likely that would be happening, but I don’t think she knows Dr. Akita like I do. That man is not going to walk out of prison a changed man. After what he did to me...to Boyd...I don’t trust him being anywhere that isn’t a prison cell.”

Boyd had poked his head back in the kitchen. “There you guys are!” He smiled at his father and honorary step-father. “I was looking for you.”

Gyro gave a weary smile. Boyd had grown up quite nicely. Sure he was the one building his physical bodies but the now-adolescent android’s personality was what truly made him real. 

“We’ll be out in a sec,” Gyro assured. “We’re just talking.”

Boyd’s brow furrowed a little. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just about boring stuff, bills and dental insurance,” Gyro lied. “Go back and have fun at your party.”

“Okay!” Boyd lit up. “Wait until you see what Dewey did to the olive tray.”

“Oh dear,” Gyro sighed, watching his son leave. He caught sight of the raised brow on Fenton and rolled his eyes. “I don’t need to worry him right now. It’d ruin his party.”

“You’ll have to tell him eventually. If we have to go to Japan and do surveillance on Akita, Boyd needs to know.”

“I know,” Gyro sighed. “We’ll tell him tomorrow.”

There was a long quiet before Fenton finally spoke up again. “I know you don’t like telling him when things go wrong for you, but-”

Gyro held up a water cup. “If you bring up the hospital again, I swear I will pour this on you-”

“Gy.” Fenton frowned. “That was pretty scary, and he still doesn’t know that-”

“That happened  _ three years _ ago, Fenton. It’s not something he needs to know about right now.”

The duck sighed, looking at his boyfriend. “Okay. I just think...maybe you should be more open with Boyd about yourself. He’s going off to college in the fall-”

“And the last thing I want to do is worry him before he goes off to live on his own, miles away from us. He deserves to have a good experience there, and you know he wears his emotions on his sleeve. I don’t need him worried about anything back home.”

Fenton gave a strained smile. “Okay. If you say so.”

“Thank you.” Gyro nodded, grabbing a few more crackers. “Now I don’t know about you, but I am actually mildly curious now as to what that one triplet was doing with the olives. Eight percent chance he choked on them.”

“Ten.”

* * *

“When did he get out?” Boyd was still trying to process the news. “Was this planned? Or did he escape?”

“No, he didn’t escape,” Gyro sighed, stuffing another pair of pants into a duffel bag. “His sentence just appears to have ended. It was my fault for not following up with Tezuka on the trial back when it happened.”

“S-So he’s just out there? What if he tries to-”

“He’s not going to be trying anything because Fenton and I will be going there to stop whatever he might be planning,” Gyro assured.

“Wait, so what do I do?”

“You are going to absolutely not worry over this, and please just...I don’t know, figure out some summer adventures with your friends?” 

Boyd shook his head. “What? No way! I have just as much to do with this as you do. Why can’t I come and help you stop Akita? I’d been testing my new rocket boosters on the track at school and-”

“I don’t want you getting hurt. He’s dangerous remember?” Gyro frowned, putting a hand on Boyd’s shoulder. “And you also know to only use those boosters in emergencies!”

“But you completely isolated my programming from all his previous coding, so he wouldn’t be able to even mess with me,” Boyd insisted, “and I could stay in the hotel! Or completely on the opposite side of the city from wherever he is, and only do all the amazing touring options in that area and-”

“Boyd,” Gyro cut him off, “even if you are safe from Akita’s tampering, it’s...not going to be much of a vacation. I’m probably going to be doing a lot of swearing when I see his stupid blathering motherflubbin-”

“I’m okay with that!” his son assured. “I’m also basically a legal adult now, so I can handle most anything...well, technically I’ve been a legal adult since-”

“I just really don’t think you should-”

“Please, dad?” Boyd pleaded, shuffling his feet. “I don’t get to see Tokyolk that often, and just think about all the stories I can tell during freshman orientation about how I spent summer vacation.”

“Well-”

“And just think...in August...I’ll be gone. Miles away...all alone...you won’t see me for weeks...or months...maybe longer….”

Gyro leaned over the duffel bag and gave a long sigh. Even with his initial programming as a perfect child, Boyd had indeed developed a stubborn streak. Swearing under his breath, he sat up.

“I hate the empty-nest card,” Gyro grumbled, looking into his son’s pleading eyes. “Alright, you have thirty minutes to pack.”

“Yes! Thanks dad!” Boyd grinned, swooping the chicken into a hug, hearing bones crack.

Gyro winced. “And leave the rocket boosters at home. I’ll check and make sure they’re off your legs before we leave.”

“Nuts.”

* * *

_ “How dare you?! I know my rights!” Gyro shrieked as he tried and failed to break out of Tezuka’s vicegrip. _

_ “You have a right to visit a prisoner, not to attack him!” The inspector glared at him, only letting him go once she had dragged him out of the prison’s security walls. “I don’t even know why you’d come back.” _

_ “To finally tell him, once and for all, that his legacy amounted to nothing and how much better I’m doing without him!” _

_ “Then of course he’s going to do whatever he can to make you mad!” Tezuka scoffed. “For a self-proclaimed genius, you’re pretty stupid, Gearloose.” _

_ “I’ll keep coming back!” Gyro warned. “And then-” _

_ “Akita’s in a prison cell. That’s not going to change his wits.” The other rolled her eyes. “You want my advice, Gearloose? Just go home and actually live your life. The more you try to fight this out with Akita, the more control he has over your life.” _

_ “Well that’s just-” Gyro trailed off, trying to come up with some sort of retort, then slouched. “You...really have me pegged.” _

_ “See?” _

_ “...Alright but what if I wrote a letter to-” _

_ “Go home!” _

* * *

“I just know that after a decade, he’s been itching to make digs at me,” Gyro muttered as he looked out the taxi window. Tokyolk had changed a lot since he last visited, and if this were under better circumstances, he’d take more time to enjoy it.

“Well, this time, we’re both going to be here.” Fenton smiled, gesturing to himself and Boyd. “So he’s not going to get away with it that easily.”

“I appreciate it.” Gyro smiled wearily, then glanced at the address on his phone, stomach admittedly getting tighter and tighter as the address numbers crept closer to the destination.

As soon as the car stopped outside a modestly sized building, and everyone piled out, Boyd was quick to start hurrying forward towards adventure until Fenton grabbed his shoulder.

“Stay behind me,” he mumbled. “It’ll make your dad feel better.”

“But…” Boyd frowned, then sighed. “Alright.”

Gyro read the verbiage on the sign out front, brow furrowing in confusion and turned to the taxi driver who was about to start the car again. “Are you sure this is right?”

“That’s the address you gave me.” He shrugged before driving away.

“What’s wrong, Gy?” Fenton tried to read the sign, then gave up upon realizing it was in Japanese.

“This is a nursing home...” Gyro rubbed his chin.

“An evil nursing home maybe?” Boyd suggested, trying to look around for any sort of signage that would give more context.

“I suppose I should have seen this as a possibility. Akita would be at the age where one might live here, but I’m certain he’s already plotting an escape.”

Heading inside, Gyro was able to check in as a visitor at the front desk, and a nurse led him into a recreational room. Several elderly patients were at tables or in chairs left to their own leisure and activities. 

“You’re the first visitors he’s had since he’s arrived here,” the nurse informed him, way too bubbly to have any sort of context as to who their newest patient was.

“Biiig surprise,” Gyro muttered to Fenton, holding back a smirk. He honestly was curious to see what in the world his old mentor-turned-archenemy would be planning as means for an escape. What he certainly didn’t expect was what he saw next, facing a window, hunched over in a wheelchair.

“Akita-san, you have a visitor,” the nurse chirped with delight, angling the wheelchair so Gyro could see him face to face.

“Oh...” The noise had come from Gyro’s throat, almost involuntarily at seeing Akita.   


He’d aged. A lot. His hair had gone all white and thinned to the point Gyro could see the faded-ginger fur underneath. His shaded visor had been replaced by thick clear glasses, and he still needed to squint to see who was in front of him, body trembling.

“Do I know you?” The former prisoner strained to get a good look at his visitors.

“Oh great, this again.” Gyro then scoffed, looking to Fenton. “He acted like this whenever he was displeased with me. He’d keep it up for hours, and it got on my nerves.”

“Ryusei?” Akita frowned, trying to inch the wheelchair closer. “What are you doing here?”

“Haha, great joke!” Gyro smirked. “Good to see you haven’t lost your horrible sense of humor.”

“Uh...” Fenton frowned, touching Gyro’s hand. “I think he really doesn’t remember you.”

“Oh, of course he does,” Gyro snorted, leaning down to glare into Akita’s face, “don’t you, old man?”

“Don’t talk to your father that way!” Akita scolded, body trembling more with fury. 

“Excuse me?” Gyro raised a brow. “Now this is just going on too far-”

“Oh!” Akita perked up, suddenly seeing Boyd standing beside the chicken. “It’s you.”

Suddenly fearful of whatever memory was retained of Boyd, Gyro protectively put a hand between the two.

“Wait, you remember me?” Boyd frowned.

“Boyd,” Gyro whispered harshly.

“The least you could have done was let me see my grandson at least once a year, Ryusei.” Akita glared at Gyro. “Was that too much to ask?”

“Hubbabawha-” Gyro tried to make sense of exactly what was going on, too confused to intervene when Akita wheeled closer to Boyd.

“It’s been so long, Yuta, look how you’ve grown! You look like I did as a boy,” Akita exclaimed, looking over Boyd.

“Uh...thank...you?” Boyd smiled awkwardly, giving a nervous pat to Akita’s hand.

“Boyd…” Gyro frowned.

“He thinks I’m his grandson. That’s probably safer than him remembering me as his favorite weapon.” Boyd shrugged, trying to mirror the vacant smile the dog was wearing.

Fenton awkwardly stepped forward. “Do you remember me?”

Akita made a disgusted face. “Of course I do.”

Gyro and Fenton looked at each other nervously. “Uh...really?”

“You’re the cheap tramp Ryusei married,” Akita spat.

Fenton turned bright red, sputtering as he heard Gyro stifle a laugh. “Well, that’s not very nice…”

“After spending my life raising Ryusei and his sisters this is the thanks I get? And now Yuta’s a young man, and I missed his entire childhood. Unbelievable.” The old dog scowled, wheeling his chair away and motioning for ‘Yuta’ to follow.

Before Gyro could warn for Boyd to stay close by, the android adolescent gave a tiny shrug and pushed Akita’s chair to a nearby couch, within sight of the other two. A long breath that Gyro had been holding expelled itself like a slowly deflated balloon, and he leaned against a wall.

“Gyro?” Fenton frowned. “Y’okay there?”

“I think I better make a phone call.”

* * *

“Thanks for the heads up! I’m so glad I knew before coming that apparently Akita’s mind got swapped with a goldfish,” Gyro bitched over the phone, sitting on a bench outside the nursing home and occasionally glancing back through the window that Boyd had Akita situated near.

“It wasn’t my information to give you then!” Tezuka snapped. “I figured it would have been obvious that if Akita had been actively planning any sort of revenge, he wouldn’t be out of prison like he is now.”

“How do we know it’s not a plot of his to trick everyone and suddenly start building bombs in his room?”

“He’s been going to doctors for the last year,” Tezuka sighed. “He’s not faking.”

“...How much longer does he have?”

“Doctors think it could be as long as a couple years, as short as a couple months. His memory’s been slipping fast.”

“He seemed to remember his family well enough.”

“Must be a better day for him then. When I escorted him there, he wasn’t responding to anything at all.”

“I was about to ask if he mistook you for his daughter,” Gyro snorted.

“He did a year ago. That’s when we began noticing this.”

Gyro’s smirk dropped. “Oh.”

“If you’re still adamant about getting the last lash against him,” Tezuka mused, “there’s no better time than now.”

Once the inspector hung up, Gyro glanced into the window again, seeing that Akita had indeed not moved from his seat, pointing at a book for Boyd.

Fenton settled beside Gyro on the bench, sighing. “Well, we’ve got the hotel booked for a week. We could just spend the week sightseeing and cut the surveillance mission short.”

“Akita has to be pulling something. He’s done things for the long haul before.”

“I really don’t think so, Gyro…”

“Even then! What if he suddenly remembers who he is while we’re around, and he decides to take revenge? We’ll have to be there to stop him.”

“He’ll probably forget again in a few hours,” Fenton suggested. “My abuelo had dementia when I was a kid. It’s pretty deteriorating...I don’t think Akita’s much of any threat anymore.”

Gyro sighed. “I sort of wish he was.”

“What?”

The chicken rubbed his forehead a moment, trying to think through his words. “I tried to get some sort of closure for myself the last time I was confronting Akita. I wanted him to know just how much better I’m doing without him and seeing him like this? I just want to see him recognize me at least once or something. So I can have a chance to look him in the eye and tell him to get screwed. I’m living a great life with my family, and he’s rotting alone in a nursing home.”

“Uh...” Fenton picked his jaw up. “I really did not expect you to say that.”

“Look, Akita made me and Boyd miserable! And now he’s really paying for it. I’d love for him to realize it.”

The duck sighed. “I guess we can spend a couple hours a day here and keep an eye on him.”

“I was about to suggest the week-”

“Gyro, it smells like applesauce in there.”

“Alright, fine. Four hours a day. No less.”

* * *

“And that was your father when he graduated.” Akita pointed at a faded photograph of a visibly younger self with another young man who was most certainly related to him.

“Wow, that’s the real Ry-I mean...my dad,” Boyd corrected, wanting to keep the illusion going both for sake of keeping Akita docile and his own safety.

“And there’s your aunts, Akari and Ichika, before they even finished school.” The old dog looked wistfully at the photos of his smiling daughters.

“Wow! They look a lot like you,” Boyd mused aloud, noting how none of the pictures with Akita in them seemed to be any younger than forty years. 

“I always thought they took more after their mother.” Akita pointed to another photo of who Boyd could only assume was his estranged wife. 

“Alright Boyd, we’re leaving,” Gyro announced as he walked over to the couch with Fenton.

“Why are you always in such a rush to leave, Ryusei?” Akita scoffed. “Am I that much of a burden on you?”

“Yes,” Gyro answered flatly. “Say bye-bye Boyd, we’re going to the hotel.”

“Ungrateful,” Akita muttered, flipping the next page. “I swear I had at least one photo of Yuta before you kept him away from me- ah there we are!” He nudged Boyd’s arm. “You were a fat baby.”

Boyd momentarily looked at the photo of the pup, but then his eye caught attention on a familiar face in one photo from Akita Labs. “Dad?”

“What? No, that’s-” Akita focused in on the photo of young Gyro, and his brow furrowed. “...I can’t remember who that is. I just remember how incompetent he was-”

“I was not incompetent!” Gyro insisted incredulously.

“Don’t interrupt, Ryusei! I taught you better than that,” Akita scolded, then looking at the photo again. “I...can’t remember.”

“You don’t remember him?”

“No…” The dog shook his head, visibly starting to get frustrated and uncomfortable at how he couldn’t remember no matter how hard he tried.

In spite of the assurance that it wouldn’t blow his own identity, Boyd didn’t like seeing anyone, even Akita, in distress at losing memories. He pat the old man’s hand and tried to give a reassuring smile. “You’re probably just tired. You can try remembering him later.”

The words seemed to comfort Akita, as he nodded and shut the scrapbook closed. He sighed, glaring at Gyro. “I won’t take up any more of you or your tramp wife’s time, Ryusei. You can leave if you wish.”

“I’d love nothing more,” Gyro sneered as he gestured for Boyd to follow him.

“Nice meeting you.” Boyd sheepishly waved.

“Um, okay can we drop the tramp wife thing?” Fenton glared as he followed the other two out, leaving Dr. Akita to sit in silence as his brain struggled to remember anything else from his laboratory days.

* * *

“I forgot how much I missed the food here,” Gyro groaned happily from bed, still stuffed from the takeout dinner they’d ordered.

“It was pizza,” Fenton pointed out.

“But good pizza!” Gyro insisted, sinking under the covers. “I’m also stealing this mattress, just a warning.”

“Okay, don’t get me involved if you get caught,” Fenton snorted, climbing beside him. He glanced over, seeing Boyd powered down in sleep mode in the other bed. “Huh, didn’t take him too long to conk out.”

“It’s probably easier being an android. He can manually switch his brain off like that.” Gyro smirked softly, skimming through his tablet to check emails and various messages before he went to bed.

“It was kind of nice seeing how he handled the situation with Akita today, huh?” Fenton glanced at Gyro, smiling hopefully.

The chicken made a conflicted face. “Yes, but I don’t want him actually getting attached to him. Akita, dementia or not, was a complete monster to him, and Boyd should remember that.”

“I don’t think he’s forgotten. He probably just wants to keep him docile. If he stays that way, then there won’t be much we have to worry about.”

“Mmm,” Gyro grunted, tracing his finger on the tablet screen and bookmarking an important email. “Remind me to call my cardiologist when we’re back in Duckburg.”

“Is everything okay?” Fenton suddenly looked worried.

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry,” Gyro reassured, putting the tablet away, “but he just wants me to keep scheduling the quarterly checkups. I’ve neglected to schedule the next one, and I have to do it within the next two weeks if I want my insurance to cover it.”

“Sure...” Fenton nodded, still looking concerned as Gyro lay on the bed, turning his light off.

Gyro looked up at his bedmate. “What?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course,” the chicken assured, trying to tug Fenton down to lay with him. “You worry too much.”

“I worry because I almost lost you.”

“I mean, it wasn’t that likely, given the statistics and-”

“Gy, I was scared okay?”

“...I know,” Gyro answered softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

“I know.”

There was a soft sigh as Gyro burrowed his head against Fenton’s shoulder. “This is why I don’t want to tell Boyd about it. I don’t need him scared about me before he goes off on his own.”

“Maybe you can find a way to tell him so he won’t be scared…” Fenton suggested.

“That’ll be impossible,” the older man murmured.

There was a silence as they cuddled in bed with each other. Then a kiss on Gyro’s cheek.

“Let’s get to sleep,” Fenton sighed. “G’night.”

“Goodnight.”

* * *

_ “Gyro you really need to settle down and take a break. You look exhausted.” Fenton frowned as he watched the chicken pour himself his fifth consecutive cup of coffee and get back to work on the commissioned invention for the company. _

_ “I’m on a streak! If I stop now, I’ll be thrown off kilter,” Gyro insisted, visibly looking exhausted and ready to sweat out of his clothes. “Could you just adjust the AC? It’s burning in here.” _

_ “Honey, I turned the AC on like, three hours ago. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” _

_ “Nothing a little aspirin couldn’t help,” the inventor sighed as he rolled out his aching arms and shoulders. “Do you have my little bottle of it?” _

_ “I left it at home, sorry,” Fenton sighed. _

_ “No matter.” Gyro waved off. “I think Beakley has some up in the board room. I’ll go ask for some.” _

_ As Gyro disappeared in the elevator, Fenton got back to his own work, glancing to Lil Bulb with a roll of the eyes. “We really need to take him on another vacation soon.” _

_ After about twenty minutes of work, only then did Fenton notice Gyro had not returned to the lab and secretly hoped that maybe the chicken decided to take a walking break or rest his feet in the cushy lobby chairs upstairs. Before he could text him to ask if he was procrastinating and encourage it, his phone rang with an incoming call from Mrs. Beakley. _

_ Puzzled, Fenton picked up. “Hi, did Gyro come to you for aspirin?” _

_ “Yes...and I do not want to alarm you whatsoever, but I strongly believe he may be having a heart attack.” _

_ At first, Fenton thought she was joking and coughed. “Uh, can you repeat that?” _

_ “I’ve had enough medical training and personal experience in my life to know the symptoms and well...I’m going to escort him to the hospital, but I wanted to keep you informed-” _

_ “Oh my god.” A rock dropped into Fenton’s stomach. “What do I do?” _

_ “Don’t panic,” Beakley insisted. “He’s still...well...stubborn, so that’s a good sign.” _

_ Before Beakley said any further, the call ended. Fenton dropped his phone onto the desk, breaths coming out in panicked, ragged waves. Covering his face with his hands, he suddenly felt way too warm, and his eyes burned. _

_ Giving a wet sniffle, he tried to keep himself together, wanting to take Beakley’s words to heart. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. _

_ A sob hiccuped out, and before he could rub his face, Lil Bulb was offering him a tissue.  _

_ His relationship with Gyro had been quite the slow burn. After their first adventures in Tokyolk, they’d been in company as good natured co-workers. A while after that, they became somewhat of friends. Then what could be considered best friends. The dating realm had been murky and weird and like some game of crush-chicken where it was a tango of who fell for who. Then came the first few dates, and then things really began to get more serious. And now, Fenton was pretty sure he was lucky enough to work in the presence of the smartest man he ever knew and the love of his life. And he certainly didn’t want to lose him like this. _

_ After breathing his emotions into the tissue, Fenton felt stable enough to drive. The whole way to the hospital, he kept repeating a plea not to crash, and that when he got there, Gyro wouldn’t be dead. Beakley was sat staring at the emergency room door in the waiting room, visibly concerned but calm. She gave a polite smile as she saw Fenton enter, and he plopped next to her. _

_ “Is Gyro okay?” _

_ She sighed. “Well, I was correct. He had a blockage, and he was walking around with it for several hours. He was perfectly lucid and conscious when they wheeled him off to operate if that helps.” _

_ “Operate?” Fenton gulped. “I have no idea how they treat these things.” _

_ “Frankly, neither do I. Back when...well...I dealt with one of these, they put me under and when I woke up, I still had no idea what they did.” She shook her head, then reached for Fenton’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “He’s a strong, stubborn man. I have no doubt he’ll be alright.” _

_ “I hope so,” Fenton whispered. “He’s really strong. But really stupid sometimes.” _

_ “I told him that on the drive here.” _

_ When the doctor came out, Fenton was almost afraid to ask. “Is Gyro okay?” _

_ “Oh, he’s doing well. The procedure went perfectly.” _

_ “Oh thank god,” the duck wheezed, sinking into his chair with relief. _

_ “Gotta say though,” the doctor snorted, “usually when I do this sort of thing, the patient is begging for me to save their life. Not telling me my fingers are too sausagey to hold a syringe.” _

_ “That...sounds a lot like Gyro,” Fenton laughed weakly, glancing to Beakley who also seemed quite amused. _

_ As soon as they were allowed into the hospital room, Fenton had made a beeline for Gyro’s bed, so relieved to see him awake and aware. _

_ “I’m so glad you’re okay…” the duck mumbled, squeezing the chicken’s hand. “You scared the feathers off of me.” _

_ “Aww, you were worried,” Gyro tried to tease him softly, a little too tired and drugged to really be effective. He gave a woozy thumbs up to Beakley. "Thanks for not letting me drop dead." _

_ "You're welcome.” She smiled back, gently patting his shoulder. "I'll leave you two to your privacy." _

_ As soon as she had left, Fenton's relieved smile faded. _

_ “Why didn’t you go to the doctor earlier when you were feeling so sick? Why didn’t you tell me?” he sighed, rubbing Gyro’s palm with his thumb. _

_ “I was too busy to be sick,” Gyro insisted. _

_ “Your health doesn’t stop because you’re busy. What did the doctors want you to do?” _

_ Gyro looked absolutely unenthused about that. “They gave me some big laundry list of changes I have to make in my life.” He winced. “Like cutting back on caffeine…” _

_ “Oh Gyro…” Fenton frowned, knowing how much he loved his coffee. “I’m sorry.” _

_ “I’d normally say that’s bullshit, but I think I’d rather this not happen again,” Gyro mumbled. _

_ “I’d rather that too,” Fenton sighed, wrapping his arms around Gyro and burying his face in his shoulder. _

_ “...Fenton?” _

_ “One sec,” the duck mumbled, trying to hide the fact he’d just started crying again. _

_ “Fenton, it’s okay. I’m still here.” _

_ “I almost lost you,” the duck sobbed against Gyro’s shoulder. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again.” _

_ “I’m sorry,” the chicken sighed, letting his fingers run through Fenton’s hair, “just promise one thing to me in return: don’t tell Boyd about this, okay? I don’t want him worried about me right now.” _

_ “But what if he comes to the lab-” _

_ “He’s with the Drakes until next Sunday. I’ll be out by then.” _

_ “...Okay…”, Fenton mumbled, uncertain, “...so long as you promise to take better care of yourself.” _

_ “I don’t have a choice.”  _

* * *

“What do you know about Akita’s family, dad?” Boyd asked between bites of the taiyaki they’d bought from a street vendor, walking through the metropolitan area. They’d spent the last few days observing the retired scientist without much incident aside from the instances where Akita lashed out at Fenton, accusing him of adultery.

“Honestly, not that much, aside from that they all cut contact with him shortly after...well...the incident.”

“You can say it was me.” Boyd frowned. “I don’t mind.”

“I’d rather not assign blame to someone who had no choice in the matter.” Gyro shook his head, taking another bite of his own fish shaped pancake. “He didn’t talk in great detail about them to me, except bringing up that his son was about my age. I’m guessing his last bit of contact was meeting his grandson. He probably tried to get in contact with them in prison or invite them to visit, but they didn’t answer.”

“Do you think he’d remember things more if we got his family to visit him? Or that he’d be happier?”

“I really could care less about him being happy. And I don’t know if he’d remember much else. For all I know, he could get his son mixed up with me and go on a rampage.”

“Fair point.” Boyd winced. “So what do we do? Just watch him until we leave?”

“That’s the plan. I just have to really make sure he’s as senile as he purports to be and not pretending in hopes to cause more chaos.”

“Alright,” Boyd replied, smiling as he caught sight of a trendy little espresso cart. “Want to get some coffee before we go?”

“You can if you’d like. I’ll stick with this, thanks.” Gyro smiled awkwardly, holding up a box carton of ice tea.

“You don’t drink coffee much these days. Why?” Boyd asked, mildly curious.

“I started to get the worst gas from it,” the chicken claimed. “I’m doing everyone a favor.”

“Ew!” Boyd laughed.

“You asked, I answered.” Gyro smirked, throwing away the wrapper for his snack.    
  
He was content to continue his leisurely tour through the city with his son until a police car pulled up on the side of the road nearby. Looking at each other briefly, Gyro and Boyd then watched as Inspector Tezuka, hair streaked with gray, approach them.

“Gearloose,” she addressed him brusquely.

“What? No hug?”

“Don’t get smart,” she warned him. “I can still take you down like nothing.”

“How could I forget?” Gyro shook his head. “Well, I promise you, there’s no imminent plans for either of us to destroy the city.” He gestured to Boyd who waved cheerfully to Tezuka.

“Nice to see you again!” Boyd chirped politely.

“Euh...likewise.” Tezuka stared at the android in bewilderment. “Did you actually get taller?”

“Yeah! My dad built me that way,” Boyd informed her, slinging an arm around a smug Gyro’s shoulder.

“They grow up so fast.” Gyro smirked at Tezuka.

Not one for humor, Tezuka shook her head. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Akita’s family has been contacted and told of his whereabouts.”

“Oh?”

“They definitely weren’t happy that I called them. Can’t blame them though.”

“Me either...so out of curiosity, who’s paying for him to stay at this place?”

“His son offered to pay so long as he never has to visit.”

“Guess that works for everyone. I was worried for a second you were stopping me to say I had to pay for him.”

“Be glad it’s not.” She adjusted her hat. “I’ll let you get on your way. But just know this: I’m watching you.”

“But we haven’t done anything!”

“I need something to do on lunch breaks.” She gave a smug look as she climbed back in her car, driving off.

“Well, no Christmas card from her,” Gyro quipped, turning to walk. He paused when Boyd didn’t immediately follow.

“Boyd?”

“Akita’s family really hates him, don’t they?”

“I mean, they’re obviously not on good terms.”

“That’s...kind of sad.” Boyd frowned, slowly following alongside the chicken. “He really seems to like his family.”

“I’m sure he also really likes bunny rabbits, but it doesn’t mean he gets to keep one,” Gyro insisted, sighing. “Look, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy choice for them...but after everything he did to the city, to me, to you, they probably decided it was for the best to cut him off.”

Boyd sighed. “You’re probably right. I wish I didn’t feel bad.”

“I mean, it’s okay to feel bad, but don’t let it make you think that what he did to you is less bad…”

“I know, I won’t,” Boyd assured, grabbing for his father’s hand to give it a quick squeeze.    
  
He then walked ahead as he caught sight of hanging lanterns, grinning as he gazed up above at them. The tiniest rock had dropped into Gyro’s stomach as he mulled over the android’s judgement of the matter, but it didn’t stop him from giving a faraway smile, staring between Boyd and the lanterns.

* * *

“Your generation is always on the screens, Ryusei,” Akita lamented, shaking his head grumpily. “Turns your brains to mush.“

“Says the man who spent 96% of his career on screens,” Gyro flatly snarked, browsing on his tablet in boredom.

“You say too much nonsense,” Akita huffed, then moved a chess piece. “Zip.”

Admittedly, Boyd found the game quite easy, especially with a player who didn’t quite remember beyond the last three plays. And while he did let up a bit on the old man, he liked to keep the game interesting. 

“Checkmate!” the adolescent android chirped as his knight struck down the king, knocking the piece over with a proud grin.

“Interesting.” Akita looked over his defeat, nodding with approval. “I’m glad someone in this family got my brain, Yuta.” He leered back at Gyro.

“Be glad it’s not the one you currently have,” Gyro muttered under his breath.

“I played chess a lot as a boy, you know,” Akita bragged to Boyd. “I went to many tournaments. Won lots of trophies.”

“You must have been really good!” Boyd smiled sympathetically, noticing that the old dog’s skills now left something to be desired.

“I still am. Another game,” Akita insisted, already setting up the pieces. Normally trembly and with inhibited motor skills, the chess matches with his ‘grandson’ seemed to have revitalized him the slightest bit.

Gyro gave a slightly annoyed hum and got up from the seat he was in, putting the tablet down on the chair as he stretched his legs. “When you get tired of kicking his butt Boyd, let me know. I’m going to go see if Fenton found the cafeteria. Back in a few.”

“Fine, fine,” Akita grumbled at the other. “Leave us be.”

“See you, dad!” Boyd waved at the chicken, glad to know his father trusted him enough to be left alone with a retired criminal.

As Boyd helped set up the pieces, he caught sight of Akita reaching over from his chair to pick up the tablet Gyro left, looking curious.

“Uh...that’s my dad’s-”

“What even is the point of these things?” Akita squinted at the screen, tapping it with his finger. “Why isn’t it working?”

“You have to press the button on the top,” Boyd pointed out politely.

“Oh.” Akita nodded, pressing it. “Boop.”

“He just uses it for work, but maybe there’s some other stuff on it?” Boyd suggested.

“Whoosh.” Akita leafed through the different screens, curiously. “What happens if I press the button with the blue bird on it?”

“Ohhh,” Boyd laughed awkwardly. “Maybe let’s not do that. But we can find something else to look at! Like TubeTube, where you can watch over a million cat videos.”

“Bah, pass,” Akita grumbled, still shuffling through the various screens. He perked up a bit as he saw an icon with a stethoscope on it. “A button for doctors? I’m a doctor!” He smiled, pressing the button. “Plunk.”

Boyd leaned over to see what Akita had pressed. “Oh. That must be dad’s medical record portal. It doesn’t get used often, unless a doctor wanted to send him a message for a check-up.”

“Ohhhhh...he must not be taking very good care of himself,” Akita spoke aloud. “All these letters on it.”

“Huh?” Boyd took another look, trying to see what Akita was talking about. He was prepared to just see the generic startup messages and tell him they should close the app, but then he saw the list of emails, and frowned.

“Let me see that,” he asked Akita, taking the tablet from him. He didn’t like to snoop at all, but he caught sight of one word in bold on one of the emails, and it left him concerned.

_ When has dad started seeing a cardiologist? _

To save time from going through each and every email, Boyd used that title as the keyword and came across several more emails, the oldest being a listed recommendation from about three years ago.

_ Mr. Gearloose, _

_ Following your medical incident and the followup appointment, your primary physician has referred you to a cardiology specialist. To schedule an introductory meeting please call at ####- _

A rock dropped into the pit of Boyd’s metallic stomach as he read the email, then spoke aloud, worriedly, “What kind of medical incident would my dad have had to-”

“Well, looks like Fenton bailed for greener pastures and greener salad.” Gyro shook his head, walking in. He stopped in place as he noticed Boyd on his tablet with a worried face. “What’s up?”

“Dad…” Boyd swallowed, “why have you been seeing a cardiologist?”

Gyro’s breath immediately fell into his knees. He opened his beak, then closed it. Then opened it again.

“Oh, that,” he began nervously. “Well, it’s really nothing, rather just upon a recommendation from my primar-”

“What kind of medical incident did you have?” Boyd frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m totally fine!” Gyro held his hands up, waving them in assurance. “It was ultimately very minor, and the cardiologist is just in case something bigger were to ever happen-”

“L-Like what? Like a heart attack? Is that what happened?”

“Well,” Gyro tugged his collar, “in technical terms, yes, but not-”

“Oh my god, Dad!” Boyd gasped. “Wh- are you okay?!”

“Of course! What did I just say?” Gyro scoffed, trying to laugh away his nervousness. “It was truly so minor that I don’t even think about it anymore-”

“Wh-Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I...didn’t want you concerned.”

“Dad, a heart attack is serious!” Boyd looked as if he was about to cry. “What if something had happened to you because of it, and I didn’t know what to do?”

“I...well, there’s Fenton…”

There was a long tense silence, and before anyone else could say anything, Boyd slammed the tablet down on the chess table and ran out of the room.

“Wait, Boyd!” Gyro called after him, heart sinking as his android son left. He swallowed the burning sensation that was growing in his throat.

After a longer silence, Akita spoke up. “Keeping secrets is bad, Ryusei. I taught you better than that.”

Seeing red, Gyro slowly and furiously turned to look Akita in the eye, growling as he grabbed him by the shirt. “Shut up...shut your stupid mouth up. You did this on purpose.”

“Ryusei what are you doing?!” the old man gasped, visibly shocked at the physical aggression. “What is th-”

“You somehow just have to keep finding new ways to ruin my life don’t you? Well, then at least I’ll take comfort in knowing your life is basically over!” he shouted angrily in Akita’s face. “You really have no idea just how awful of a person you are, do you?”

“R-Ryusei, stop this! I-”

“Quit calling me Ryusei!” the chicken shouted angrily. “I’m not your son, and Boyd isn’t your grandson! None of us are your family because your family doesn’t even _ want you _ .”

“Let me go,” the old man begged, struggling to get away.

“Your family hates you, and they are  _ never _ coming to see you,” Gyro snarled hatefully at Akita. “So get used to it.”

Furiously, he shoved the wheelchair back, leaving the old man stunned and confused once again. If Gyro hadn’t been so angry, the terrified look on Akita’s face might have given him a tiny sense of guilt.

But he had other things to worry about.   


* * *

Gyro had to tell himself when he found Boyd thirty minutes later, he’d have to resist the angry parent lecture about how he should not have run out of the nursing home and into some strange part of the city. The idea to even lecture him disappeared as soon as he located him, relieved. Boyd hadn’t noticed his father approaching the park bench, furiously scrolling his phone and visibly holding back frustrated tears.

Shuffling his foot and coughing, Gyro caught Boyd’s attention. After a heated staredown for a few seconds, Boyd went back to looking at his phone.

“Uh…”, Gyro began, “I had something for this.”

“What.”

“Alright, I know...you’re probably very angry with me, and I suppose I could have avoided this by telling you, but I had reasons for not-”

“Okay,” Boyd cut him off.

“Well, I wasn’t finished but-”

“You obviously didn’t want to tell me! I get it,” Boyd snapped, face flushing red with upset. “You didn’t think it was important enough to tell me. That I wasn’t important-”

“What? No that’s not it at all!” Gyro shook his head, chest constricting as he sat on the bench, in spite of Boyd nearly caging it off. “It’s-”

“Nobody told me what had happened to you or that you were in the hospital!” Boyd exclaimed, finally looking up and starting to hyperventilate. “What if you had been worse or what if you had died and I didn’t get to see you?”

Gyro swallowed the stone in his throat, trying to think of what to say. He didn’t want to get into the deeper emotions of his reasoning but with Boyd, it looked like he’d have to.

“Boyd…,” Gyro began, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “I didn’t tell you about what happened at the hospital because I saw what would happen when people found out...they get worried about me, and I feel worse when people worry about me. Especially when they’re people I care about, like you or Fenton or Lil Bulb-”

“Does Lil Bulb know about this?”

“Oh yes, he was absolutely devastated.” Gyro shook his head. “Fenton was so shaken up, it broke my heart- ah, not literally. Just to confirm.”

He drew in a deep sigh. “I didn’t tell you because you are so important to me. I didn’t want to hurt you by making you worry...I was almost certain I was going to be fine, what with statistics of heart attacks being common in my age bracket and admittedly my work and caffeine habits were not going to help me...” He got back on track. “I know it’s natural for everyone else around me to worry. Especially the people I care about.”

Boyd gave a wet sniffle, rubbing at his face. “Dad, I get it...but I just want to know if you’re okay.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly alright,” Gyro assured. “I only go to those appointments out of precaution. I take relatively better care of myself, and I’ve been in great health since-”

He was cut off by a sudden tight embrace, feeling Boyd’s face pressing against his chest and a warm wetness soaking into his shirt.

“Dad, I’ll try not to worry about you,” Boyd cried, “but please don’t lie or hide this stuff from me. I can handle it.”

“Damn it.” Gyro blinked a heat out of his eyes. “Now you’re gonna get me started,” he laughed trying to hold back tears.

“Let me have this,” Boyd cried and laughed at once.

“Fine,” Gyro cried back, rubbing his face, then glared at a staring passerby. “What? Haven’t you ever seen a dad and son cry for a moment? Go away. Shoo.”

* * *

“Do you want either of us to go in with you?” Fenton squeezed Gyro’s hand, looking between him and Boyd.

“Not necessary,” the chicken shook his head. “I’d rather face him alone.”

After spending the rest of their trip sightseeing and more-or-less staying away from the stressful situation being around Akita created, the makeshift family decided to tie up loose ends on the last day in Tokyolk, for sake of their own security and checking that, indeed, Akita wasn’t going anywhere. And now Gyro was taking the last few hours before their flight out to say one last not-fond farewell to his estranged mentor.

“Please don’t kill him, okay?” Fenton joked weakly, giving his hand another squeeze.

“I’ll try not to.” Gyro grinned tiredly, kissing Fenton’s cheek and glancing to Boyd, giving a bit of a wider smile. “You know I haven’t told you yet, but I was very impressed with how you handled being around Akita.”

“Thanks.” Boyd beamed as Gyro ruffled his head before going into the other room.

Akita’s private room in the nursing home was as dismal and isolated as Gyro had hoped, with sterile white walls, a single light above the painfully simple bed meant for infirmed individuals, a single nightstand with a drawer and nothing else. No photos on the walls, no books, no nothing. Akita had left the prison with barely anything to his name except maybe for whatever was in the drawer. Perhaps just that scrapbook.

The old dog was hunched over in his wheelchair, gazing blankly out the window. He evidently didn’t notice or care that Gyro had entered his room, eyes glazed over.

The chicken cleared his throat. “Well. Seems fitting you’ll still be spending the remainder of your life in what is virtually another cell,” he scoffed, looking around the room.

While Akita continued to stare out the window, Gyro leaned against the bed, taking a long look at him. “Maybe when you’re lucid, you could ask an aide to hang some decorations in here. Like the eyesores of posters you kept in the lab.”

He stared at the villain again, then breathed irritably through his nose. “I can’t tell if you’re ignoring me or dementia’s taken the wheel again. Either way, you got everything you deserved, and karma is a bitch. Have fun dying.”

He got up to leave, adjusting his tie. “See you never.”

Akita’s eyes followed him as he headed for the door. “Who is that? You seem familiar.”

“Bye.”

“...Gyro?”

Suddenly, every muscle in Gyro’s body stopped working, causing him to freeze upon hearing his name. Not Ryusei. Not Intern. But his name. 

“Dr. Akita?”

“Gyro,” the old dog looked around the room, blinking as he tried and failed to get a sense of where he was. “Where are we?”

“This is where you live.”

Akita’s brow furrowed, shaking his head. “No, that doesn’t seem right. That doesn’t seem right at all...where are we?”

Gyro heard the confusion in Akita’s voice, the fear of not knowing. The way the old dog’s eyes darted around the room, it was obvious that in this temporary state of pseudo clarity, Akita knew how helpless he was, how his own brain had become his prison. And somehow, Gyro didn’t like it. As much as he wanted some sort of upper hand over Akita, he didn’t want it like this.

“We’re...at the airport,” Gyro sighed.

“Really? Why?” Akita looked around.

“To greet your family. They’re coming to visit you.”

“Oh...really?” The senile man seemed to brighten. “What for?”

Gyro paused, then lied carefully. “It’s your grandson Yuta’s birthday. Ryusei is bringing him, with Akari and Ichika.”

“Yes that’s right.” Akita smiled. “What else?”

“Yuta is bringing a chessboard with him,” Gyro narrated, “and he’s going to play a match with you every day.”

“Good, good,” the other nodded, eyes visibly sparkling hopefully behind his thick glasses. “What are we doing while we wait?”

“Just staring out the window, watching the planes come and go.” Gyro glanced to the window, out at the brick, moss covered wall on the other side.

“Right.” Akita’s tail wagged stiffly at the vision. “Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“No,” Gyro assured, turning Akita’s wheelchair to face the window. “Not long at all.”

Akita was then happy to stare out the window patiently, ears perked up in wait for a plane that would never arrive and would be forgotten within a couple hours but still. He was happy. 

Gyro swallowed, and gave a stiff pat to his old mentor’s shoulder. “I’m going to see when their plane arrives. You just keep waiting here, okay?”

“Mmm,” the old dog vocalized, not looking away from the window, tail giving a slow wag every so often.

And finally then did Gyro decide to turn and leave, shutting the door behind him.

Back in the day, Akita had tried to strip Gyro of his compassionate nature. And ultimately he had failed.

Gyro considered that a true victory after all.

* * *

The end of August came far too quickly, and Gyro was wondering if there was any last minute inventions he could procure to slow time so he’d spend more of it with Boyd before he had to see him off to college. But at this point, they were mid-packup of his room, which was proving to be more than a little emotionally tolling for both Gyro and Fenton, seeing their ‘baby’ grow up. Thanks to the sub-space suitcases Gyro had made (which were bigger on the inside than out), fitting most of Boyd’s room into luggage was proving to be easy.

During the packing, Gyro was attempting to give Boyd a father-son lecture on the dangers of underage drinking and peer pressure at college, but suddenly then had to answer a phone call, leaving Fenton and Boyd alone in the room.

“So what’s it like living with roommates?” Boyd decided to ask Fenton. “I’ve never shared a room with someone for long except Doofus, and even then, I stayed out of his way.”

“It can be a complete wildcard,” Fenton admitted. “I mean, I have no doubt you’re gonna be a great roommate for whoever you meet, but sometimes you can get someone who is just like you, or just like Doofus,” he laughed. “But I think you’ll be lucky and get someone who is right in the middle.”

“I hope so,” Boyd said with a grin. “I’ve already prepared an icebreaker questionnaire for whoever my new roommate is going to be! We’ll get to discuss so many fun topics.”

“Your dad did that on the first date with me,” Fenton laughed. “It certainly made an impression.”

“A good one?”

“Yes.” The duck grinned, zipping up a roller tote full of clothes.

“Now time to pack books!” Boyd grinned.

“You may wanna still keep some stuff here,” Fenton suggested as he pulled out another case, “like when you come home for Christmas.”

“I can just sleep on the sofa like I did before I got this room,” Boyd suggested. “Besides, you and Dad could use it as a workshop or snuggle room.”

Gyro choked from out in the hallway. “Excuse me?” he called in.

“What? That’s what I heard you saying last night,” Boyd laughed softly.

“You heard nothing.” Gyro shook his head, stretching out his back.

“What was the call?” Fenton asked.   


“I’ll tell you both later,” Gyro assured the two.

“Was it from Tokyolk?” Boyd piped up, dumping books in the suitcase.

“How’d you know?” Gyro frowned in confusion.

“I pick up telephone signals,” Boyd reminded him.

“Oh, yeah,” the chicken snorted and sighed. “Yeah. Akita’s nursing home called to tell me...well...he’s no longer a threat whatsoever.”

It took a second for Fenton to fully understand what Gyro was saying, and Boyd caught on faster.

“Oh...Dad…” Boyd approached Gyro. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Oh most certainly,” Gyro nodded. “Apparently, his youngest daughter decided to be present, so that probably made some failing portion of his brain release endorphins in those last moments. I’d hesitate to say ‘rest in peace’ to him. Maybe just ‘bye’.”

“Yeah…” Boyd shrugged. “Kind of the mood all around. We...don’t have to go to any funeral or anything do we?”

“Hell no,” Gyro scoffed. “I’d rather pierce my tongue with a thumbtack between my toes.”

“Alright then,” Fenton coughed a bit. “So...is it okay if we continue packing?”

“Yes please,” Gyro laughed tiredly. “Where was I... now, as a college freshman, you will likely be introduced to alcohol, and as an android, it will not affect your system. That being said,  _ gasoline _ is highly effective, and thus my alcohol safety talk will be remedied to discuss that.”

While Gyro went into a detailed monologue, Fenton had playfully chimed in, and Boyd had eagerly listened to all of it. And all three of them knew there wasn’t really anything they had to worry about at all.


End file.
